Coming down heavily on the
'orderly system', the Madras High Court today said the police personnel must be used only for police work and not for washing clothes or cooking or walking pets of the officials.
If the officials need people for such works, they should look for the people trained for such jobs, Justice N Kirubakaran said.
Or else allowances should be given for all these works, the judge observed.
Justice Kirubakaran made the observations while hearing a bunch of plea seeking a direction to the state government to reduce the mental stress of lower-rank policemen and abolish the orderly system.
"It has come to the knowledge of the court that retired officials are used to prepare FIRs. It means the police personnel are not trained to prepare FIRs," he said.
The judge also noted that the people who serve as orderly in he police officials houses, often try to use their influence to get promotions without any requisite training.
Also referring to the attacks on police personnel, the judge emphasised upon a change in mind set to treat policemen "as our brothers."
When police takes action against anti-social elements, rights activists claim human rights violations whereas if the same anti-social elements attack police "why don't these human rights activists open their mouths," the judge remarked.
"If the police personnel who suffered from attack is not consoled by us, who will do (that)? First of all, a mind set change should come that the police is also our brothers," the court observed.
The judge then posted the matter to June 26.
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan recently said the practice of deploying junior policemen for the personal works of senior officials would be done away with in the state.
The CM's statement had come in the wake of alleged manhandling of a police driver by the 27-year-old daughter of an additional director general of police last week.
Vijayan had termed the practice of engaging junior policemen as 'camp followers' for the orderly duty of top brass as "undesirable.
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